Golfing!

My family has played golf for as long as I can remember. I used to go in my stroller with my parents when I was a baby and play in the sand traps.

Before Ted and I met, I got my first set of golf clubs and I used to play with some friends in Seattle. Then Ted and I met and it was one of the fun things we had in common that we used to do regularly. We probably golfed 10-15 times the spring/summer of 2010 and it was great! Then I got pregnant in winter of 2011 and as anyone who's ever been pregnant knows, there's no way to swing a golf club with a watermelon strapped to your stomach. So no golf for me :( Of course the other thing about golf is that to play 18 holes, it takes about 4-5 hours which doesn't work well when you have a baby/toddler.

So....fast forward 3 1/2 years and guess what? I am back on the golf course! Ted's parents kept Maddy Saturday afternoon and overnight so we went golfing. We started off with a small par 3/4 9 hole course that's in Tacoma. It was beautiful out and we had a blast. After not swinging a club for over 3 years, I hit my first shot 100 yards right down the middle if the fairway. Success!

I can't wait to get back out there!

Reading

I've been trying to do more than play on my phone during my commute to/from Seattle each work day. I decided that reading would probably be a good use of my time. I got some recommendations from my friend Jenn and friend Jenny (I promise I have other friends not named Jennifer). 

I started with The Fault In Our Stars. It's being made into a movie now and will be out soon. It was really good but pretty sad at times. Kids with cancer will do that to you. Good read, highly recommend it.

Then on to Moloka'i. My mom's family is from Hawaii so it seemed like a nice idea to learn more about the history of Hawaii. This book jumps right in and has moments that are heart wrenching. The story is beautiful though and you can't put it down.

Next up was Family Pictures. This book took me a while to get into. But then hooked me. A story about two women who have more in common than they know. Good ending, made it very worthwhile.

I just started Beautiful Ruins. I'll let you know how it plays out!

Maddy

About 3 years ago, Maddy was growing in my belly and I had just started to feel her moving around. That was the beginning of my connection to this amazing little girl. Maddy arrived a few days later than planned, and I should have known then that she would be strong willed and do things herself when she was ready to do them. Things haven't really changed.

Maddy is fiercely independent and because of that can tackle a lot of things that many kids her age are happy having someone else do for them. She's amazed with the world and is constantly asking questions and looking for new things to try out. 

She loves her family and her friends immensely and while she can play by herself and do her own thing, she mostly wants to be with other people. She's definitely an extrovert.

Maddy is emotional, she processes things with her heart and when things hurt her feelings, she has a hard time recovering. She takes things personal. 

I don't want to be cliche, but for me, Maddy epitomizes the saying, I didn't know that I could love someone this much. I love when she snuggles into my shoulder when she needs cuddles, I love when she mispronounces words or phrases in the cute way 2 year olds do, and I'm going to regret saying this, but I love when she stomps her foot and shouts, no, Maddy do!

As much as Maddy pushes my buttons and sometimes drives me crazy, I know that the traits that she possesses today will allow her to grow into a strong woman who stands up for herself and passionately pursues her dreams.

I'm so proud of Maddy. I'm proud to be her mom and proud that she eagerly allows me to be a part of her journey. I can't wait to see what 3 more years brings!

I love you buddy!

Funny Things Maddy Says:

We have a scale in our bathroom and Maddy likes to weigh herself. In order to try to help establish positive messages about her body and weight, we usually cheer and get excited no matter what the scale says and usually tell her how great it is that she's getting bigger. Tonight was no exception except for Maddy's reply :)

Me: Wow Maddy, you weigh 29lbs, you've gotten so big! That's awesome!

Maddy: Yay, I'm 29! Soon I'll be big enough to drive a car!

Banana Bread

Today Maddy and I set out to use up a whole bunch of bananas that were in freezer. Maddy insists on having bananas around the house but eats 1 for about every 3 that we buy, so they are constantly frozen bananas in the freezer that I promise myself I will use one day for bread or pancakes or other tasty treats. Unfortunately baking is rarely a priority. Today it was though, Maddy and I made 3 loaves of banana bread and 12 banana muffins. She had a great time measuring the ingredients and stirring it all up and of course especially liked tasting it before it went into the over. It's cooling now, we'll have to try some out later for a snack!

Yay for Weekends!

We had a really really great weekend that surprisingly enough, was filled with just the right amount of taking-it-easy. We still managed to go to they gym, do some grocery shopping and meal prep, as well as have a very nice family dinner with Ted's parents who just got home from Arizona. But in the midst of some productivity, we also slept in, watched TV, played with Maddy and Bailey, and just rested up. We did plan a special outing on Sunday afternoon to take Maddy bowling for the first time. She was pretty darn excited to hit the lanes, which was hilarious because she really had no idea what bowling is. We bowled two games and she had a blast. She would jump and cheer after every ball she rolled/threw down the lanes (with a little help) and probably gave and received at least 50 high fives during the course of bowling. She had a blast and was pretty darn good (thanks to the bumpers). She got a 105 in the second game which is better than most games I get! We'll definitely have to do it again sometime especially because its a really good rainy day fun activity.